Editing Ethan Allen-class submarine

{{Short description|United States Navy class of fleet ballistic missile submarines}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2022}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USSEthanAllenSSBN-608.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Ethan Allen''
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Ethan Allen'' class
|Builders=*[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]<ref Name=FAS/>
*[[Newport News Shipbuilding]]<ref Name=FAS>{{Cite web |url=https://fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssbn608_ethanallen.html |title="SSBN-608 Ethan Allen-Class FBM Submarines" from the FAS |access-date=25 November 2015 |archive-date=13 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313151605/http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssbn608_ethanallen.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|Operators= {{naval|United States}}
|Class before={{sclass|George Washington|submarine|4}}
|Class after= {{sclass|Lafayette|submarine|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Built range=1959–1963
|In commission range=1961–1992<ref Name=FAS/>
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=5<ref Name=FAS/>
|Total ships canceled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=5<ref Name=FAS/>
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Ballistic missile submarine]]
|Ship displacement=Surfaced: {{convert|6946|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}
Submerged: {{convert|7884|LT|t|0|lk=in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1">{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | title = U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]] | year = 1994 | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]] | pages = 199–200, 244 | isbn = 1-55750-260-9 }}</ref>
|Ship length={{cvt|410|ft|4|in|m}}
|Ship beam={{cvt|33.1|ft|m}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{cvt|29|ft|10|in|m}}
|Ship propulsion=*1 [[S5W]] [[Pressurized water reactor|PWR]]<ref Name=FAS/>
*2 geared [[steam turbine]]s ({{convert|15000|shp|abbr=on}}),
*1 shaft<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship speed=*{{convert|16|kn|km/h}} surfaced
*{{convert|22|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{cvt|1300|ft|m}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship complement=12 officers and 128 enlisted (two crews, "Blue" and "Gold")
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=16 [[Polaris missile|Polaris A2/A3 missiles]], 4 × [[American 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s, 12 [[torpedoes]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1"/>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Ethan Allen'' class''' of fleet [[ballistic missile submarine]] was an evolutionary development from the {{sclass|George Washington|submarine|4}}. The ''Ethan Allen'', together with the ''George Washington'', {{sclass|Lafayette|submarine|5}}, {{sclass|James Madison|submarine|5}}, and {{sclass|Benjamin Franklin|submarine|5}} classes comprised the "[[41 for Freedom]]" that were the Navy's main contribution to the [[nuclear deterrent]] force through the late 1980s.

==Design==
Rather than being designed as {{sclass|Skipjack|submarine|0}} attack submarines with a missile compartment added, the ''Ethan Allen''s were the first submarines designed "from the keel up" as [[Ballistic missile submarine|Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM)]] submarines carrying the [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris A-2 missile]]. They were functionally similar to the ''George Washington''s, but longer and more streamlined and with torpedo tubes reduced to four. In the early and mid-1970s, they were upgraded to Polaris A3s.  Because their missile tubes could not be modified to carry the larger diameter [[UGM-73 Poseidon|Poseidon]] missile,<ref name="Polmar p22">
{{Citation
 | last1=Polmar
 | first1=Norman
 | title=The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet
 | publisher=Arms and Armour Press
 | place=London
 | edition=12th
 | year=1981
 | isbn=0-85368-397-2
 | page=22
}}</ref> they were not further upgraded.

==Conversions==
To comply with [[SALT II]] treaty limitations as the {{sclass|Ohio|submarine|0}} ballistic missile submarines entered service, in the early 1980s the ''Ethan Allen''s were refitted and officially designated [[SSN (hull classification symbol)|SSNs]] (fast attack submarines), but often referred to as a "slow approach". Their missile [[fire control system]]s were removed and the missile tubes were filled with concrete. ''Sam Houston'' and ''John Marshall'' were further converted to carry [[United States Navy SEALs|SEALs]] or other [[Special Operations Forces]], accommodating 67 troops each with [[dry deck shelter]]s to accommodate [[SEAL Delivery Vehicle]]s or other equipment.  The ''Ethan Allen''-class submarines were decommissioned between 1983 and 1992.<ref name="Conways p612">
{{Citation
 | editor-last=Gardiner
 | editor-first=Robert
 | editor2-last=Chumbley
 | editor2-first=Stephen
 | title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995
 | publisher=Naval Institute Press
 | place=Annapolis, USA
 | year=1995
 | isbn=1-55750-132-7
 | page=612
}}</ref>
All were disposed of through the nuclear [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]] 1992–1999.

== Boats in class ==
Submarines of the ''Ethan Allen'' class:<ref Name=FAS/><ref name="Conways p612"/><ref>[http://www.submarinehistory.com/FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines.html California Center of Military History (dead link 2015-05-07)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927221928/http://www.submarinehistory.com/FleetBallisticMissileSubmarines.html |date=27 September 2013 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! Hull number
! Name
! Builder
! Laid down
! Launched 
! Commissioned
! Decommissioned
! Fate
|-
| SSBN-608
|{{USS|Ethan Allen|SSBN-608|2}}
 |[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|14 September 1959
|22 November 1960
|8 August 1961
|31 March 1983
|Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]], 1999
|-
|SSBN-609
|{{USS|Sam Houston|SSBN-609|2}}
|[[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]]
|28 December 1959
|2 February 1961
|6 March 1962
|6 September 1991
|Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]], 1992
|-
|SSBN-610
|{{USS|Thomas A. Edison|SSBN-610|2}}
|[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|15 March 1960
|15 June 1961
|10 March 1962
|1 December 1983
|Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]], 1997
|-
|SSBN-611
|{{USS|John Marshall|SSBN-611|2}}
|rowspan="2" align="center" | [[Newport News Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]]
|4 April 1960
|15 July 1961
|21 May 1962
|22 July 1992
|Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]], 1993
|-
|SSBN-618
|{{USS|Thomas Jefferson|SSBN-618|2}}
|3 February 1961
|24 February 1962
|4 January 1963
|24 January 1985
|Disposed of through [[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program]], 1998
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of submarines of the United States Navy]]
* [[List of submarine classes of the United States Navy]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* {{DANFS}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ethan Allen class submarines}}
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/06idx.htm NavSource.org SSBN photo gallery index]
* [https://fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/slbm/ssbn-608.htm Federation of American Scientists]

{{Ethan Allen class submarine}}
{{US submarine classes after 1945}}

[[Category:Submarine classes]]
[[Category:Ethan Allen-class submarines| ]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States| Ethan Allen class]]